ANNAPOLIS – New regulations in Maryland require employers to establish minimum requirements to protect employees whose employment activities, indoor or outdoor, expose employees to a heat index that equals or exceeds 80°F, and from heat-related illness caused by heat stress in the workplace.
Maryland Department of Labor officials said employers should develop and implement a written Heat-Related Illness Prevention and Management Plan, which includes but is not limited to:
● Monitoring the heat index throughout the work shift
● Providing sufficient amounts of drinking water
● Providing shade and rest breaks
● Recognizing signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses
● Procedures for helping workers become accustomed to high-heat working conditions
● Procedures for high-heat conditions
● An emergency response plan
The state has developed a document that is intended to guide employers in developing a written Heat-Related Illness Prevention and Management Plan.
Employers should evaluate all conditions found in their workplace(s) that are likely to cause heat injury or illness
before establishing their work-site-specific plan, Maryland officials noted. Use of this document does not guarantee compliance with all sections of the new law, referred to as COMAR 09.12.32. It is important to effectively implement and maintain the plan you develop, including training all workers and supervisors.
These procedures describe the minimum heat illness prevention steps applicable to most outdoor and indoor work
settings. You may need to exercise greater caution and employ greater protective measures to protect workers.
To tailor these procedures to your work activities, evaluate and consider the specific conditions present at your
site, such as:
● Whether workers work indoors, outdoors, or both
● The number of workers and types of work performed
● The length of the work-shift(s) and the workload
● The heat index in the work area
● Personal protective equipment, work processes, or other factors that may contribute to the overall net
heat load
The plan document can be downloaded at:
https://www.labor.maryland.gov/labor/mosh/mosh-heatstresshipmodelprogram.pdf
